FR2727460A1 - Hinge mechanism for car doors with two track rods forming quadrilateral - Google Patents

Abstract

The hinge joins the door panel (4) to the car body (3). It has two track rods (1, 2) which form a quadrilateral (Q, Q, Q). The rods are hinged at the proximal end (1c, 2b) on the body and at the distal end (1b, 2a) they are hinged to the door panel. The quadrilateral allows for an initial opening stage by rotation of the two rods and for a second stage when the door makes an angular spring movement by rotation around an axis (7) which joins the door to the track rod (1) and which is held in a fixed position.The hinge has an open section (10) attached to the door panel or to the distal end (2a) of the second track rod (2). The open section (10a) forms the arc of a circle centred on the first hinge axis (7), a second axis (11, 12) joins the door to the second rod (2) which is also held in a fixed position. The second axis slides through the open section to complete the second stage of the opening of the door.

Description

 The present invention relates to a hinge device intended in particular to connect a side door panel of a motor vehicle to an amount of the body of the latter and a motor vehicle equipped with this hinge device.

 A motor vehicle is already known which is equipped with an articulation device connecting the front edge of a side door panel to an upright of the body of this vehicle and of the type comprising two connecting rods or the like forming a quadrilateral articulated respectively at the said ends. proximal of the connecting rods on the body and at the so-called distal ends of the connecting rods on said door panel, said articulated quadrilateral ensuring in a first phase the opening of the door by pivoting and forward movement of the two aforementioned connecting rods and in a second phase an upper opening of the door relative to the body by pivoting of the door on a first articulation axis connecting the door to a first connecting rod which is kept fixed and on a second articulation axis connecting the door to the second connecting rod which slides and retracts into the door.

 This known device ensures sufficient angular opening of the door to allow a user to get in or out of the vehicle when the door opening space is limited, for example by an obstacle such as another vehicle or a wall. , but has the disadvantage of not sufficiently clearing the entrance to the door when the user wishes to descend or mount bulky objects in the vehicle.

 The present invention therefore aims to eliminate the aforementioned drawback and to propose an articulation device allowing in particular to release a maximum space in front of the entrance of the door of a vehicle.

 To this end, the subject of the present invention is an articulation device, intended in particular for connecting a motor vehicle door panel to the body of the latter, of the type comprising two connecting rods or the like forming a quadrilateral articulated respectively at the so-called proximal ends. connecting rods on said body and at the so-called distal ends of the connecting rods on said door panel, the articulated quadrilateral ensuring in a first phase the opening of the door by pivoting of the two aforementioned connecting rods and in a second phase an upper angular movement of the door relative to the body by pivoting of the door on a first articulation axis connecting the door to a first connecting rod which is kept fixed, characterized in that it comprises an openwork piece integral with the door panel or the distal end of the second connecting rod and the opening of which has the shape of an arc of a circle centered on said first axis of articulation culation, a second axis of articulation connecting the door to the second connecting rod which is also kept fixed, being received capable of sliding in said opening to ensure the aforementioned second phase of door opening.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, the articulation device comprises a lock for immobilizing in circular translation and not in rotation on itself said second axis of articulation in said opening during the aforementioned first phase, the lock being open for the second phase mentioned above to allow the free sliding of said perforated part on the second axis of articulation.

 In a particular embodiment of the invention, the aforementioned lock is a rotary lock, coaxial during the first phase with the second axis of articulation, and formed by a jaw in an arc extending over at most 1800 and clean surrounding said second articulation axis so as to leave the latter free to slide in said opening during the aforementioned second phase.

 Provision may be made for a finger integral with the aforementioned rotary lock to be pressed into abutment against the second connecting rod so as to pivot jointly with the latter on the second articulation axis and relative to the perforated part during the first opening phase. , so that at the end of the first opening phase the jaw still blocks at least partially the sliding of the perforated part on said second articulation axis.

 In a first variant embodiment of the invention, the articulation device comprises means that can be actuated remotely, for example by the opening palette of the door handle, to release said second articulation axis from its lock.

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the aforementioned finger of the twistlock is held in abutment against the second connecting rod by an elastic return means.

 One can also provide that the aforementioned finger is urged against a retractable stop means provided on the second connecting rod.

 This retractable stop means can form the means that can be actuated at aforementioned distance, so that in the retracted position of the stop means, the rotary bolt pivots slightly on the second articulation axis until the jaw releases the latter.

 It is also possible to provide that said retractable stop means is an elastic means, for example a leaf spring, which is able to be compressed elastically by the finger by forcing the opening of the door at the end of the first opening phase. , which generates a slight pivoting of the rotary bolt on the second articulation axis, until the jaw releases the latter.

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the aforementioned finger is connected to the latch by an eccentric suitable for pivoting on an axis parallel to said second articulation axis so as to ensure an adjustment of the position of the finger against its stop means, and consequently an adjustment of the position of the door at the end of the first opening phase.

 The present invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising the aforementioned articulation device, mounted between a door, for example a side door and the body of the vehicle.

The invention will be better understood and other objects, characteristics, details and advantages thereof will appear more clearly during the explanatory description which follows of a particular, currently preferred embodiment of the invention, given only by way of illustrative and nonlimiting example, with reference to the appended schematic drawings, in which
- Figure 1 is a partial view in front elevation of a side door of a motor vehicle mounted on the body of the latter via the articulation device of the invention
- Figure 2 is a partial view in broken section with parallel planes along line II-II of Figure 1, in the closed door position
- Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing the door at the end of the first opening phase
- Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing the door in the second opening phase
- Figure 5 is a partial perspective view of a detail of the articulation device of the invention; and
FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the locking system of the articulation device of FIG. 5.

 According to the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the articulation device of the invention comprises a support structure 1 forming a first connecting rod and a guide arm 2 forming a second connecting rod which are hinged on the body 3 d 'a motor vehicle (not shown) and on the front edge of a side door panel 4 (see Figure 2).

 Partly shown at 5 in FIG. 2 is the front fender of the motor vehicle.

 The first connecting rod 1 is here in the form of sheet metal shells welded back to back and has in its center a light 1a for the passage of the second connecting rod 2 during the first phase of opening the door 4.

 The first connecting rod 1 comprises at its so-called distal end 1b, that is to say its end furthest from the body 3, knuckles 6 which receive a first articulation axis 7 pivotally joining said first connecting rod 1 to a first fixing plate 8 on the door panel 4.

 The fixing plate 8 which is integral with the door 4 is hinged on the distal end 2a of the second connecting rod 2.

 The distal end of the second connecting rod 2 is formed of a fork with two branches, the ends 2a of which fit between two upper knuckles 9 and lower 10 of the fixing plate 8, said knuckles 9 and 10 being on the side opposite to the distal end 1b of the first connecting rod 1.

 The distal ends 2a of the second connecting rod are in the form of sleeves aligned with the upper 9 and lower 10 knuckles of the fixing plate 8 to receive a second hinge pin 11 joining the second connecting rod 2 to the fixing plate 8 .

 The lower knuckle 10 is an openwork piece integral with the fixing plate 8 and the opening 10a of which has the shape of an arc of a circle centered on the first articulation axis 7, the second articulation axis 11 being received capable to slide in said opening 10a in the form of an arc of a circle (see FIGS. 2 to 5).

 The second articulation axis 11 is formed here (see in particular FIG. 5) of a rod extending at its top by a disc-shaped head 12 serving both as a "bolt" for a lock 13 and as a stop d 'upper support on the upper end 2a of the second connecting rod 2 to retain the hinge pin 11 between the second connecting rod 2 and the fixing plate 8.

 The latch 13, which is better visible in FIG. 6, consists of an upper disc-shaped part 13a from which protrude: axially upwards a tubular part 13b which is housed in the upper knuckle 9 of the plate fixing 8; circumferentially downward a portion in the form of an arc of a circle 13c extending over at most 1800 to receive the disc-shaped head 12 of the second axis of articulation 11; and radially in a horizontal plane an actuating tab 13d of the latch 13.

 It can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6 that, in the closed lock position, the second articulation axis 11 and the tubular part 13b of the lock 13 are coaxial, the part in the form of an arc of a circle 13c forming the "keeper" of the lock 13.

 The axial retention of the tubular part 13b of the latch 13 in the upper knuckle 9 is of the type known per se.

 At the free end of the actuating tab 13d is rotatably mounted on an axis 14 an eccentric 15 for example in the form of a disc and from which an eccentric finger 16 projects downwards.

 The finger 16 is urged into abutment by an elastic return means 17, such as a helical spring, against a leaf spring 18 fixed laterally on one of the branches, for example the upper branch of the end fork 2a of the second connecting rod 2.

 It can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 5 that the helical spring 17 is connected on the one hand to the axis 14 and on the other hand mounted coaxially to the second articulation axis 11 on the upper knuckle 9, by means of a rod 17a which is housed in the tubular part 13b of the latch 13.

 In top view, for example in FIGS. 2 to 4, the second connecting rod 2 has a general S shape, the proximal end 2b of which is the end closest to the body 3 of the vehicle , is hinged on a second fixing plate 19 on the body 3.

 The proximal end 2b is fitted coaxially between two knuckles 20 of the fixing plate 19 so as to receive a third hinge pin 21 joining the second connecting rod 2 to the second fixing plate 19.

 The fixing plate 19 is fixed to the body 3, for example by means of screws or the like 19a.

 The first connecting rod 1 is hinged at its proximal end lc on the side opposite the hinges 20 of the fixing plate 19.

 A fourth articulation axis 22 joins knuckles 23 from the proximal end lc of the first connecting rod 1 to knuckles 24 of the fixing plate 19.

 The first articulation axis 7, the second articulation axis 11, the third articulation axis 21, the aforementioned fourth articulation axis 22 and the axis 14 are all substantially parallel and oriented vertically in the case where the device hinge of the invention is mounted on a side door of the motor vehicle.

 A stop 25 with rollers 26 secured to the fixing plate 19 is provided, in the embodiment shown in the drawings, in the lower part of the articulation device and intended to cooperate with an arcuate arm 27 which projects from the plane of the first connecting rod 1 to block the rotation of the connecting rods 1 and 2 at the end of the first opening phase.

 During the first phase of opening the door, the arm 27 passes between two flanges 25a (see FIG. 1) of the stop 25 until a shoulder 27a of the arm 27 comes into abutment against a roller 26 at the end of race of the first opening phase.

 We will now describe the operation of the device of the invention with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

 FIG. 2 represents the articulation device of the invention in the closed door position, in which the quadrilateral formed by the articulation axes 7, 11, 21 and 22 is substantially flattened.

 In this closed position, it can be seen that the latch 13 retains the fixing plate 8 from sliding on the hinge pin 11.

 During the first phase of opening the door panel 4, the connecting rods 1 and 2 pivot on the third and fourth axes of articulation 21 and 22 relative to the fixing plate 19 which is kept fixed on the body 3.

 The connecting rods 1 and 2 do not have here the same length of center distance, measured between the respective axes of articulation at the two ends of each connecting rod, but it could of course be provided in a variant a quadrilateral in the form of a parallelogram. The second connecting rod 2 departs from the first connecting rod 1 during the first phase of opening the door, by pivoting of the fixing plate 8 on the first and second articulation axes 7 and 11 respectively.

 The initial position Q ′ of the abovementioned quadrilateral when the door is closed is shown in fine lines in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first and second axes of articulation being indicated by the reference numerals 7 ′ and 11 ′.

 Also shown in these figures is an intermediate position Q '' of the quadrilateral during the first phase of opening the door, the first and second axes of articulation being indicated by the reference numerals 7 '' and 11 ''.

In this intermediate opening position, we see that the quadrilateral Q '' is less flattened than the quadrilateral
Q 'corresponding to the closed door position.

 Figure 3 corresponds to the position of the rods 1 and 2 at the end of the first phase of opening the door.

 In this position at the end of the first opening phase, the arcuate arm 27 is in abutment against a roller 26 of the abutment 25, by means of its shoulder 27a, which blocks in rotation the connecting rod 1 secured to the arm 27.

 The quadrilateral Q is here in a substantially unfolded position relative to the intermediate position Q '' and to the initial position Q '.

 The bolt 13 has pivoted relative to the second articulation axis 11 jointly with the second connecting rod 2, thanks to the action of the support spring 17 which biases the finger 16 against the leaf spring 18.

 In this position at the end of the first opening phase, the part in an arc 13c of the bolt 13 barely retains the support head 12 of the hinge pin 11 to slide in the opening 10a of the perforated part. 10.

 If the user wishes to open the door more widely, for example to allow the passage of bulky objects in or out of the vehicle or to get as close as possible a wheelchair to a seat of the vehicle, the user passes the device hinge in its second door opening phase.

 Figure 4 shows the passage of the door 4 from the end position of the first opening phase (indicated in phantom) to an intermediate position of the second opening phase.

 The passage from the first to the second door opening phase is authorized by a slight pivoting of the lock 13 around the hinge axis 11 so as to compress the leaf spring 18, which makes it possible to separate the lock 13 of the support head 12 and therefore of the perforated part 10 to slide on the articulation axis 11 while moving the lock 13 away from said articulation axis 11.

 It is clearly seen in FIG. 4 that it is the fixing plate 8 and therefore the door 4 which pivots around the hinge pin 7 by sliding the opening 10a on the hinge pin 11, while now the second rod 2 stationary.

 FIG. 4 shows with the arrow F1 the angular displacement of the door 4 during the second opening phase and by the arrow F2 the circular translation of the perforated part 10 relative to the first articulation axis 7, this which produces a greater angular movement of the door 4 during the second opening phase.

 Of course, we could alternatively reverse the roles of the hinge pin 11 and the perforated part 10, by providing the perforated part 10 secured to the distal end 2a of the second connecting rod 2, the second articulation axis 11 then moving together with the fixing plate 8 in the opening 10a of the arcuate part 10 during the second opening phase.

 The transition from the first to the second opening phase can be operated in two distinct ways.

 A first way consists in acting on the opening pallet of the door handle, which pallet is connected for example by a cable circulating in a flexible sheath (not shown) to the latch 13 so as to rotate the latch 13 and therefore the finger 16 against the leaf spring 18, which thus releases the support head 12 from the latch 13.

 It then suffices to continue opening the door to achieve greater angular movement without really exerting additional effort.

 Another way is to urge the door towards a larger opening until this effort generates a slight rotation of the latch 13 against the leaf spring 18 which elastically deforms, which causes the unlocking of the support head 12 and thus authorizes passage to the second opening phase, by pivoting of the door on the first articulation axis 7.

 The leaf spring 18 therefore serves as an elastic blocking stop for the passage from the first to the second phase of opening the door.

 The door is closed from the second opening phase simply by reversing the kinematics of the aforementioned parts.

 By varying the specific stiffness of the leaf spring 18 as well as the angular positioning of the finger 16 relative to the axis 14, one can modulate the intensity of the effort necessary to go from the first to the second opening phase. .

 Alternatively, instead of the leaf spring 18, a retractable rigid stop can be provided which is actuated only by the opening handle of the door handle.

 Although the present invention has been described in connection with a particular embodiment, it is obvious that it is in no way limited thereto and that it can be made numerous variants and modifications without departing from its scope or his mind.

Claims (10)

 1. Hinge device, intended in particular to connect a door panel (4) of a motor vehicle to the body (3) of the latter, of the type comprising two connecting rods (1, 2) or the like forming a quadrilateral (Q, Q ', Q' ') articulated respectively at the so-called proximal ends (tic, 2b) of the connecting rods on said body and at the so-called distal ends (lb, 2a) of the connecting rods on said door panel, the articulated quadrilateral ensuring in a first phase the opening of the door by pivoting of the two aforementioned connecting rods and in a second phase an upper angular movement of the door relative to the body by pivoting of the door on a first hinge pin (7) connecting the door to a first connecting rod ( 1) which is kept fixed, characterized in that it comprises an openwork part (10) integral with the door panel or with the distal end (2a) of the second connecting rod (2) and the opening (10a) of which the shape of an arc centered on said first articulation axis, a second articulation axis (11,12) connecting the door to the second connecting rod (2) which is also kept fixed, being received capable of sliding in said opening to ensure the aforementioned second phase of door opening.  2. Articulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a lock (13) for immobilizing in circular translation and not in rotation on itself said second articulation axis (11,12) in said opening (10a) during the aforementioned first phase, the lock being open during the aforementioned second phase to allow free sliding of said perforated part (10) on the second axis of articulation.  3. Articulation device according to claim 2, characterized in that the above-mentioned lock is a rotary lock, coaxial during the first phase with the second articulation axis (11, 12) and formed by an arcuate jaw (13c) of circle extending over at most 180 and suitable for surrounding said second articulation axis so as to leave the latter free to slide in said opening (10a) during the aforementioned second phase.  4. Articulation device according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a finger (16) integral with the aforementioned rotary lock and urged in abutment against the second connecting rod so as to pivot jointly with this on the second axis of articulation and with respect to the perforated part during the first opening phase, so that at the end of the first opening phase the aforementioned jaw (13c) still at least partially blocks the sliding of the perforated part (10) on said second axis of articulation.  5. Hinge device according to claim 4, characterized in that the aforementioned finger (16) is connected to the latch (13) by an eccentric (15) suitable for pivoting on an axis (14) parallel to said second axis of articulation .  6. A hinge device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the aforementioned finger (16) is urged against a retractable stop means (18) provided on the second connecting rod (2).  7. A hinge device according to claim 6, characterized in that the retractable stop means is an elastic means, for example a leaf spring (18), which is capable of being compressed elastically by the aforementioned finger (16) in forcing the opening of the door at the end of the first opening phase, which generates a slight pivoting of the rotary lock on the second articulation axis until the jaw releases the latter.  8. A hinge device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that it comprises a means operable remotely, for example by the opening handle of the door handle, to release said second axis d 'articulation (11, 12) of its lock (13).  9. A hinge device according to claims 8 and 6 or 7, characterized in that the retractable stop means (18) forms the means operable at aforementioned distance so that in the retracted position of the stop means, the rotary lock ( 13) pivots slightly on the second articulation axis until the jaw (13c) releases the latter.  10. Motor vehicle comprising the articulation device according to any one of the preceding claims, mounted between a door (4) for example lateral and the body (3) of the vehicle.